Considered as one of the largest and most distinctive winter event, the Sapporo Snow Festival is held annually for a week in February (usually during the 1st to 2nd week). There are 3 main sites of the festival: Odori Park where the large snow sculptures are displayed, Susukino with the ice sculptures and Tsudome with the giant snow slides.
Tag: Hokkaido
A Tinge Of Setsubun
Japanese celebrate Setsubun by throwing soybeans either out the door or at a person wearing an Oni (demon or ogre) mask. This is done to ward off evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health. This custom known as mamemaki was originally introduced by the Chinese during the 8th century.
Hokkaido’s Penchant For Taxidermy
Either you are at a university or a museum, a park or a resting area, a restaurant or a souvenir shop located in Hokkaido, you will definitely notice at least one taxidermied animal. Their fondness to taxidermy is very obvious, with the basic reason of showcasing the animals native to Hokkaido.
The Frozen Shirahige Waterfalls
The word shirahige means white beard and the name was coined as the water flowing alongside the rocks resembled white beard. The beautiful splash of cobalt blue is created by the water spring beneath the rocks and the impact of the water plunging to the rocks below. The waterfalls which stands more than 30 meters tall can be best viewed from the helix bridge.
The Train With One Passenger
A story about a highschool girl who has been the lone passenger of a train in Japan has been viral on the web. So upon learning that the train station is in Japan, I asked my friend to go there during one of our roadtrips.
Flashnote: Taushubetsu Bridge
It’s winter and it’s a nice time to walk along frozen lakes. One of the lakes here in Hokkaido that you can traverse by foot is the Nukabira Lake. Most of the people who go to the lake camp there to do some ice fishing. But today, we went there not to do ice fishing but to see the Taushubetsu Bridge.
Flashnote: Hoarfrost Of Sarabetsu
Braving the very cold -23°C, we hit the road at 5:30 am to see the hoarfrost in Sarabetsu. As the silvery frozen mists covering the trees melt as soon as the sun starts to shine, we needed to go there very early. Sarabetsu is famous for this magical view.
Study Tour At The Meiji Tokachi Cheese Plaza
One of the activities of the Tokachi International Relations Center of Obihiro City is sponsoring study tours in various factories here in Tokachi. And this time, it was a trip at Meiji Tokachi Cheese Plaza located in Memuro, a town in the Tokachi subprefecture of Hokkaido. Meiji is the 4th largest confectionary producer in the world.
Momijigari At Hoheikyo Dam
Traveling for more than 3 hours by car from Obihiro, we arrived at the Hoheikyo Dam area of the Jozankei part of Sapporo. It was the peak time of the autumn leaves, so there are a lot of people enjoying the amazing view of the park.
The Underrated New Chitose Airport
Unlike the more famous Narita and Haneda Airport, New Chitose Airport is the most underrated airport in Japan. As Tokyo is more touristy than Hokkaido, less non-Japanese people are appreciating the nice things that New Chitose Airport is offering. This is actually my most favorite airport in Japan as it can actually be a tourist destination on its own. One can generally spend a whole day in this airport without getting bored. Even those who are not having a flight will have fun in New Chitose Airport.
Flash Note: Momijigari At Fukuhara Sansou
The day when you can enjoy the fiery leaves of autumn has finally come in Hokkaido. Japanese have the momijigari tradition of visiting scenic areas where leaves have turned red in autumn. And where to enjoy it but in Fukuhara-sansou, the Tokachi spot with the finest autumn leaves.
One Windy Day In Daisetsuzan
It was early October. My friends and I went to Daisetsuzan National Park to see the autumn leaves. Daisetsuzan National Park is the largest national park in Japan established in 1934 spanning two subprefectures of Hokkaido. Consisting of 16 peaks, the name Daisetsuzan means great snowy mountains.
Amoj In Wanderland 